Four protesters killed, dozens injured in south eastern Nepal

Four protesters were killed and other three dozens injured when police opened fire against hundreds of cadres from the Madhes-based ethnic parties who were trying to disrupt a political rally in south eastern Nepal bordering India on Monday, local media reports said quoting government officials, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The police personnel opened fire against the protesters when they attempted to interrupt the peaceful political rally organized by Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist) at Rajbiraj town of Saptari District bordering India, reports said.

While confirming deaths of four protesters, Home Ministry Spokesman Balkrishna Panthi said that security personnel tried to disperse the protesters with bamboo batons and tear gas before firing their guns.

The CPN (UML), the second largest party in the Parliament, was attempting to hold a rally in Rajbiraj town, about 450 kilometers of Capital City Kathmandu, when the cadres from the Madhes-based parties attacked the rally.

Dozens of other injured have been receiving treatment at local hospitals, the police said.

Meanwhile, the Madhes-based ethnic parties, who have been launching anti-constitution protests for one and half years, announced to launch strike in Madesh region against the killing of those four protestors, party leaders said.

The Madhes-based ethnic parties have been demanding second amendment in the Constitution to ensure more political representation in state bodies, delimitation of constituencies, fresh demarcation of federal boundaries so that the stretch in the Terai from east to west falls within two Madhes provinces and amendments in citizenship laws.

However, rounds of talks between the Nepali government and agitating Madhes-based parties have not yielded any positive results toward ending the unrest in the region.